Unis face $500m cut

Unis face $500m cut - The West Australian

WA universities will have almost $500 million cut from Federal funding under the Government's proposed overhaul of higher education, the union representing academic staff claims.

National Tertiary Education Union modelling showed Curtin University would be hardest hit in WA and lose $146.2 million between 2016 and 2019 if a 20 per cent cut to the Commonwealth Grants Scheme went ahead.

The University of WA will be $118.6 million worse off, Edith Cowan University $101.5 million, Murdoch University $63.7 million and Notre Dame $41.3 million.

Labor will today launch a campaign on university campuses fighting the changes, warning that a "degree shouldn't be a debt sentence".

Education Minister Christopher Pyne repeated yesterday that he was prepared to negotiate with Senate crossbenchers to get the bulk of the reform package passed.